The Enemy Within
by Liete-chan
Summary: The Invaders are now gone but what's stopping them from being created again? A continuation after the series. All Finished! Please R&R, I beg of you!
1. The Wandering Spirit

Gatekeepers Fanfic: The Enemy Within  
Genre: Romance, Suspense, Supernatural, and Action  
Author: Liete Toukairin  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Gatekeepers. Remember, this is just a fanfic. I don't have money anyway and there's nothing you can sue off me *~*`  
  
Chapter One: The Wandering Spirit  
  
"What?"   
  
Kageyama Reiji slowly opened his eyes. He felt cool earth against his left cheek.  
  
"I'm alive??"  
  
Slowly, Kageyama sat up. He winced as his shoulders filled with pain as he did so. His eyes widened as he took in his surroundings for the first time. He seemed to be in an island of some sort. One thing for sure, this is not Tokyo. Kageyama stood up and pats the dust off his pants. He casually takes his sunglasses off and put them on his head. This made him see the sunset and it blinded his eyes.   
Suddenly, he heard someone start singing a lonely song. He unconsciously moved towards the source of the angelic voice for he recognized it.  
  
"Ruriko_san" he muttered.  
  
The voice led his to a dark and deep forest. The sunset cannot be seen anymore as the thickness of the trees formed a shade and enveloped the path in half-darkness. Just as Kageyama was wondering if there was no end to this forest, he was bathe in light as he reached the end of the path. He gasped. The scene looked like an ancient ruin. There was a circular path made with marble with engraved writings. In the center was a fountain it looked like it wasn't working anymore. On one corner, he spied a girl. The girl had her back to him so he couldn't see her face but he was sure this was the girl who was singing. His presence must have been felt, because the girl suddenly stopped singing and turned around to face him.  
  
Kageyama couldn't help but gasp again. The girl was the complete likeness of Ruriko except her long hair didn't have a yellow bow and it was a color of silvery white with a touch of pink and her pale blue eyes emphasized innocence yet they were cold and hardened with loneliness and misery.   
  
"Who are you?" asked Kageyama; surprised he has finally found his voice.  
  
This question must have meant a lot to the girl because she suddenly stood up and ran towards Kageyama, her baby blue eyes wide with anxiety.  
  
"You can see me?" the girl asked.  
Kageyama was taken aback by the girl's reaction and her voice really sounds a lot like Ruriko's. He realized the girl was still talking to him.  
  
"That means," the girl was saying," you are the same as I am." Her innocent eyes narrowed, and suddenly the innocence was gone. Instead, she had a deathly look in her eyes. She reached out her hands and held Kageyama's. It felt deathly cold.  
  
Unconsciously, Kageyama's gate started working and he began to read the girl's mind. He was amazed of what he saw.  
  
"You are…" Kageyama began.  
  
The girl nodded. "I am Tsuzuhani. Tsuzuhani Izuka desu…"  
  
"…the dark Gatekeeper who created the invaders." Kageyama finished.  
  
"I have been waiting for you to come. Someone who shares the same dark power as I. "  
  
"Demo…you are supposed to be dead!"  
  
" Indeed…After I gave life to the invaders, I decided to create myself into an invader type. Forever living as long as there are human desires but my Gate of Life turned into a dark gate, killing me. Even though my body died, my soul still lives as long as there are human desires. Waiting for a person to be born with the same Gate as I did. Now, after over many years of slumber, I suddenly awaken, not knowing why."  
  
Kageyama smirked. "I'll tell you why. Your precious Invaders have been wiped out."  
  
"Wiped out?" Izuka's deathly eyes widen innocently again. " No way, I have no way to resurrect them, not without my Gate of Life…not when I still haven't found the person who was born with the same gate as I…"  
  
"Let's make a deal, shall we?" Kageyama said, grinning. "I'll find the girl with the Gate of Life for you in return, once you have your precious Invaders, I want complete control over them."  
  
"It's a deal." Izuka said smiling innocently. "but how will you find a girl like that around here?"  
  
Kageyama laughed at the girl's naiveté. He closed his eyes and pictured the girl with long dark brown hair with a large yellow bow.  
  
'yes,' he thought, opening his eyes. ' this will be his best revenge yet.; on Ukiya and everyone else who had the guts to go against him. 'This girl will be easy to manipulate' he thought, looking at the girl who was smiling innocently at him.  



	2. Deception

Author's Notes: I do not own Gatekeepers!  
  
Chapter Two: Deception   
  
"This is too boring to be true…" Ukiya Shun sighed. It was lunchtime and the gang was gathered at the school terrace.   
"At least Japan is safe for now," Ikusawa Ruriko said, reassuringly.  
"Ahh! I had no idea the third year was going to be this hard." Bancho said.  
"Soo….I kinda miss Reiko_san." Fei said, sighing as well.  
"Chotto! Matte!" Kaoru said, standing up in front of them. "Just think of school life as our mission now!"  
"demo…..I kinda hoped the Invaders were still around," Ukiya said, "and Kageyama was still…" He shook his head.  
"Ukiya sempai! Don't act that way!" Kaoru said.  
"Kageyama…" Megumi, who has been silent, interjected. "It's so…mortifying."  
"Kurogane_san," Ruriko said, "Don't worry about it. It's over and done now."  
"Now that the invaders are gone, does that mean our scholarships will be terminated?" Fei said, eyes wide.  
"Sona! We saved Japan!" Ukiya replied.  
"I looked good on TV" Bancho said.  
"I can't believe many people saw us on television!" Ruriko said, putting her hands on her cheeks. "It was so embarrassing!"  
Ukiya's eyes narrowed. "You liked being on television, Rurippe. Why don't you admit it?" He cried out as Ruriko punched him across the face.  
"Don't call me RURIPPE!!!" Ruriko said, angrily.  
"The most important question is, what do we do now?" Kaoru asked.  
To this, everyone sighed.  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Ruriko removed her shoes as she entered the house. She spied a large bundle of mail in the corner. She took it and scanned the addressed, surprised to find one for her. She picked it up and read it.  
  
'I have something important to tell you. Meet me by the docks. Tonight.   
-Itsumo, Itsumademo  
Ukiya_kun  
  
Ruriko blushed. She looked at the clock, it was already 5:30. She raced up the stairs to her room, debating in her mind what she would wear.  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
Ruriko looked around the docks, which was almost deserted. She looked at her watch. 6:30. She forgot that Ukiya didn't mention an exact time in his letter. The two seamen left the pier, laughing, leaving Ruriko totally alone in the docks. It was now getting darker and the light from the post lit up and died repeatedly giving an eerie feeling to the place. The waves crashing into the docked boats created a noise that was ominous in Ruriko's ears. She put her arms around herself as a cool breezed passed her.  
  
Suddenly, someone from behind her put his arms around her waist. It took her by surprise at first but then she said, "Ukiya_kun, you're such a jest." She tried to turn around but the person held her tighter, disabling motion. Ruriko's heart started to beat faster.   
  
"Ukiya_kun what are you doing?" She held the hands to take them away from her waist but then she froze. The hands were cold, not like Ukiya's warm hands.  
  
"Who are you?" Ruriko asked.  
  
"Long time no see, Ruriko san."  
  
Ruriko gasped. "Kageyama_kun! You're…."  
  
"Alive?" Kageyama laughed. An evil laugh indeed.  
  
Ruriko's scream pierced the night and was cut short as a black ring enveloped them both, and then they disappeared.  
  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Is this her?" Izuka looked at the girl who was unconscious before her.  
"Isn't it obvious?" Kageyama said. "You two can pass for twins."  
  
Izuka giggled. "I guess so." She lifted Ruriko's head and out her arms around her neck and held her close.   
  
"We are one…." Izuka whispered and both were enveloped in a white light.   
  
Kageyama turned his head away from the blinding light. After a few seconds, he cautiously opened them to find Ruriko looking at her hands.  
  
"Ah…Izuka?" Kageyama asked.  
  
Izuka, now in Ruriko's body said, "I've forgotten how beautiful it is to have a body." She looked at Kageyama. "It was certainly easy for you to find her."  
  
"She was…. an acquaintance." Kageyama answered casually.  
  
"Won't her friends look for her?" Izuka asked.  
  
"Don't worry," Kageyama assured her, smiling. "Leave them to me."  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  



	3. The Messenger of Death

I do not own Gatekeepers. Please R&R  
  
Chapter Three: The Messenger of Death  
  
Ukiya Shun looks at his paper. He sighed as he realized he hasn't answered a  
Question. He turned to ask his seatmate, Ruriko but instead found an empty seat.  
  
"It's so strange. I wonder why Rurippe is absent…" Ukiya wondered out loud.  
  
"UKIYAAA!" the teacher in front shouted. "Why are you so noisy? Don't you know you're taking a test?"  
  
."Anoo…. Boku wa…" Shun grinned sheepishly and started to say something again but a voice from the speaker said, "Members of the Special Council gather at the appointed place!"  
  
Shun practically fell off his chair. He dashed towards the door, gave his sensei a muffled "gomen" and ran out of the classroom before his teacher could say anything else.  
  
"Ukiya! Matte yo!" Bancho called out as he struggled to catch up to Ukiya.  
  
Ukiya only stopped when he reached the boy's bathroom to catch him breath.   
He approached the sink, with Bancho close behind him. He kept turning the tap of the faucet the wrong way until he heard a click. The tiles surrounding them began to descend until they were enveloped in darkness. Ukiya can't help but feel that this meeting was going to change his life. Not because he knew that the invaders were gone and it was a wonder why the meeting was being held, but something else….  
  
"Captain Ukiya Shun, reporting Shirei!" Ukiya said as he stepped out of the "tile" elevator. Shirei only nodded in reply. He saw that everyone was there, even Reiko but to his disappointment, no Ruriko.  
  
"I suppose all of you are wondering why I called you here." Shirei said.  
  
"So desu ne…" Reiko said.  
  
"Are there more Invaders for me to defeat with my awesome power!" Bancho said, flexing his muscles.  
  
"Dame deyansu!" Specs said. He looked at the Commander. Shirei nods.  
  
"What is it?" Shun asked. Suddenly, he had a sinking feeling for no reason at all.  
  
"As you all know, there was a train crash last night…" Shirei started.  
  
"…And General Machine was behind it?" Fei interjected.  
  
"Maybe another one of those bullet trains we encountered before?" Kaoru added.  
  
"Isn't that the train crash where nobody survived?" Megumi asked.  
  
"No, and well…." Shirei looked at Shun intently for a moment. "We have reason to believe Agent Ikusawa was on that train.."  
  
This generated a lot of gasps.  
  
"No way!" Ukiya exclaimed, slamming his fists on the table. "Maybe she's just in critical condition and…"  
  
"Ukiya kun." Shirei said. " All the passengers were burned to death and have been cremated."  
  
"Then how did you know it was her!" Ukiya shot back.  
  
Shirei coughed. "We found this."  
  
He took out a box and shoved it in Ukiya's direction. Ukiya opened the box and gasps. He took out the contents of the box. A bow & cylindrical container filled with arrows were wrapped up in a familiar yellow hair bow.  
  
"These were found on the site of the accident. Ruriko's parents told me that Ruriko went out before dark that very night the accident occurred." Shirei said.  
  
"How can you be so calm about this?" Ukiya balled his hands into a fist until his knuckles turned white just to prevent himself from crying.  
  
"The memorial service will be tomorrow since there is nothing but ashes left." Shirei turned his seat so he had his back to the Gatekeepers. "You are dismissed."  
  
@--------------------------------- Later ----------------------------------------------  
  
"Ukiya sempai," Kaoru called out sadly. It was lunchtime but none of them had the appetite to eat. Reiko didn't go to any of her classes just to be with everyone else.   
  
Ukiya turned around to face Kaoru. He still had that stoned expression. Something was nagging him but he can't quite figure out what.  
  
"Daijobu ka? Sempai?" Kaoru asked, though it was obvious that he wasn't alright. None of them were.  
  
Ukiya didn't answer. He took the yellow bow out of his pocket. He took it from the box when nobody was looking. He was missing something and something wasn't quiet right but…."Geez!" he cried out, putting his hand on his forehead. He can't seem to think at all.   
  



	4. Never Say Die

Chapter Four: Never Say Die  
  
  
Ukiya placed the flowers he had brought on the newly placed tombstone.   
  
"Now I understand everything that Yukino said, Rurippe" Ukiya said as if Ruriko was right there in front of him. "If this is not the end of Oblivion, then I shall live every day as if my life were to end on that very day…It's sad if you don't and you die…" Ukiya winced involuntarily at the last word. "and you die with regrets…"  
  
Behind him, Kaoru dries her tears. Reiko holds Fei's shoulders since Fei has been holding onto Reiko's arm ever since the memorial started. Even Megumi was remorseful.  
  
"Himeeeee!" Bancho cried out and looked like he was about to bury himself with Ruriko if Specs wasn't holding him back.  
  
In the corner of his eye, Shun saw Shirei talking with Ruriko's parents. Both of her parents were teary-eyed but Shirei kept his cool. Even Miss Ochiai, who was standing beside Shirei, was in tears.  
  
Meanwhile, at the far end of the cemetery, two figures were quietly watching under a Sakura tree.  
  
"It's so ironic…" Kageyama smirked. "…For you to miss your own burial."  
  
"I guess so…" Izuka said. "The plan worked well."  
  
Kageyama nodded. "But I left them a clue. If they are wise enough, they would figure it out."   
"Let's go," Izuka said. "We have to get started on our plans." As she turned around, her long dark brown hair shone and flew in the strong breeze..  
  
"Huh?" Ukiya wondered, turning around. He had a feeling somebody was there but as he looked around, the only thing he could see are Sakura trees.   
  
"Strange…."he thought, "Definitely strange…"  
  
@-----------The Next Day -------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Ukiya sempai!"   
  
Kaoru's voice interrupted his train of thoughts. They were walking to school together. Reiko signed up for a music internship at the high school so she could still hang out with them.  
  
He can't seem to get everything that happened out of his mind. He once again took the yellow ribbon out of his pocket. Something wasn't right…. the bow…. the arrow…. the ribbon…. the ribbon…  
  
"That's it! I got it!" Ukiya suddenly exclaimed, causing those around him to stare at him in shock.  
  
"What are you talking about, Ukiya!" Bancho asked.  
  
Ukiya wasn't given an opportunity to explain his behavior because the school sound system started playing the "wash your hands with soap and water" song, meaning a secret call-up.  
  
Ukiya turned to his friends. "Ikimasho!"  
Shirei looked up from the papers he was reading.  
  
"What is it this time Shirei, more invader?" Ukiya asked.  
  
Shirei shook his head. "An unknown electrical wave was detected. Not from an invader…more like a gate."  
  
Shun got the same sickening feeling in his stomach but this time, he was grateful for it. Now he knew the reason…he smiled.  
  
  
@---------------------In the AEGIS Bus-----------------------------------------------------  
  
"Shirei is very emotionless ne?" Fei said.  
  
Kaoru nodded. " He didn't even show a single emotion regarding Ikusawa sempai's death and….."  
  
"I understand why." Ukiya said.  
  
"Eh?" Reiko asked, either for enquiry or because she didn't understand, nobody knew.  
  
"I understand why he was so cold." Ukiya said again, looking at the ribbon in his hands. "and Kaoru chan?"  
  
"Yes, sempai?"  
  
Ukiya smiled. "Never say Die."  



	5. The Dreaded Reunion

Chapter Five: The Dreaded Reunion   
  
  
  
The bus arrived at the destination point and all of the Gatekeepers stepped out of the bus.  
  
"What the…" Ukiya said.  
  
Their destination was an abandoned school. As they looked around, with dumbfounded expressions on their faces, they heard applause.  
  
Kageyama came towards them, clapping his hands. "I must praise all of you for being here so quick," he said, with the usual smirk on his face. "and AEGIS for having such advance technology. Otherwise, you might not have come here at all. I must welcome you to my school."  
"Kageyama, you're alive?" Bancho asked, clueless.  
  
"Your school?" Kaoru asked, equally clueless.  
  
As if on cue, hundreds of school children ages 7-10 raced out of the main entrance, down the stairs and stopped behind Kageyama.  
  
"School children…" Megumi said.  
  
Kageyama smirked. "Nice to see you again Megumi_chan." He laughed for a few seconds, and then his face bore dead seriousness. "Start Fusion" he said.  
  
Automatically, the children took out sunglasses that came out of nowhere and put them on. Almost at once, all of them turned into invaders.   
  
"Invader!" shouted Fei.  
  
Everyone opened their respective gates and attacked the invaders one by one while Kageyama looked on, laughing.  
  
"Ultra Sempu ge!" Ukiya shouted as he charged at one of the invaders. He hit the invader dead center and the invader turned into green crystals.  
  
Soon the ground was littered with green crystals. Breathing heavily, Shun looked at Kageyama.   
  
"I can't believe you can still laugh. That was too easy." Ukiya said.  
  
Kageyama smiled. "I meant to do that. Can't let you die before you see your woman, ne?"   
  
"What is he saying?" Kaoru asked, looking at Ukiya.  
  
"Where is Rurippe." Ukiya asked.  
  
"Oi oi! Does that mean you specks of bugs finally figured out the clue I left?"  
  
Ukiya took the ribbon out of his pocket. "If Rurippe really was on that train wreck, the bow, arrow and even the ribbon should have been burned too but they were there untouched. As if someone wanted us to find it…" Ukiya looked at Kageyama. "Where is she? Why? What did you-" Ukiya broke off as the large wooden doors of the school squeaked as it opened once again.  
  
Everyone gasps.  
  
The person's shoes are the only one being shown (camera view). As the person steps down the stairs, more of the person is shown. The person stops at the last step, just above the ground.  
  
"Ukiya kun, It's so nice to see you!"  
  
"Rurippe!" Ukiya said, stepping back just a little bit.  
  
"Ne?" Ruriko asked, her eyes arching in concern. "You look like you've seen a ghost."  
  
Ukiya looked at the person intently. Ruriko was wearing a school uniform just like Kageyama's, only with a black short skirt instead of the pants and a red bow instead of a tie. Ukiya looked at the red bow on Ruriko's familiar dark brown hair…and those pale blue eyes…blue eyes???  
  
"You are….you are not Rurippe!" Ukiya cried out.  
  
"What are you saying?" Bancho asked. "That's Ruriko Hime!"  
  
But Ukiya looked directly into Ruriko's pale blue eyes. "Who are you?"  
  
"Tsuzuhani…. Izuka Tsuzuhani desu."  
  
Izuka's eyes lost their innocence again as she narrowed them. She stepped down and as her feet touched the ground, a ripple of a yellow gate ring spread on the ground. As soon as the ripple spread around the crystals, the green crystals started to levitate over the ground.   
  
"I am Ruriko. We are one person." Izuka said as she put her hands on the chest level as if she is holding an imaginary bowl in her hands. "Geeto Opun!" Suddenly, a yellow gate appeared on the ground around her. The green crystals started to shake and in the blink of an eye, to everyone's dismay, turned into invaders again.  
  
"As you can see, Ukiya kun, it doesn't matter how many times you defeat the invaders if I can create them as easily!"   
  
Ukiya grasps his wooden sword tightly. "Vacuum Missile!" he said as he charged at the invaders once again.  
  
"Dame desu!" Kaoru said, holding Ukiya back by his arm. "Let us handle it. You have to use your power for fighting with Kageyama and 'her'" She turns her head towards Izuka.   
  
"I understand." Ukiya said, nodding as he steps back, the battle starting.  
  



	6. A Shocking Betrayal

Chapter Six: A Shocking Betrayal  
  
"Geeto! Opun!" Kaoru, Fei, Reiko, Megumi and Bancho said at the same time.  
  
"Kaoru Throw!" Kaoru said as she took four invaders, two in each hand, and threw them as far she could. She turns around and starts running at God-like speed, knocking out the Invaders along the way.  
  
"Genwa no Merodiii!" Reiko said and started to play her compact piano when it was shattered.  
  
"Aree..?" she looked at Kageyama who has called on his Shadow gate amidst the confusion.   
  
"Don't forget that I'm still here." Kageyama said, sneering.  
  
Kaoru, Fei and Bancho were battling the invaders but Shun didn't even notice them. He looked at the broken pieces of Reiko's instrument, then at Kageyama's sneering face. His heart skipped a beat. He had hoped he could delay the confrontation with Kageyama for as long as he could but…. He gripped his wooden sword tightly and started to walk towards Kageyama.  
  
"Let's decide this!" Ukiya said, his eyes narrowing in concentration.  
  
"Don't underestimate me this time Ukiya kun. I'm far more powerful than I was before." He held his hand in front of him. "Shadow Edge!"  
  
Two black blades erupted from Kageyama's hand.   
  
"Vacuum Missile." He said and thrust the sword in front of him. He hit the first blade and evaded the second.  
  
"What?" Kageyama wondered.  
  
'I can't lose now.' Ukiya thought as he aimed for Kageyama 'I still don't know what's happening but I can't give up now. Rurippe is alive.' His aim was excellent. The wind pressure would hit no matter what Kageyama did to block it. Suddenly, he was thrown off by an unknown force.   
  
"That hurt…" Ukiya said, opening his eyes. He saw Ruriko..er..Izuka walking towards him.   
  
"You have been a mere play thing until now." She said putting her hand in front of her. "Now I see you are going to be a threat to my resurrection."  
  
"Resurrection?" Ukiya asked.  
Meanwhile, Megumi was just standing, watching them. She looked at Kageyama and against her will, the past events rolled in her mind over and over again.  
  
"It's useless." Kaoru said, breathing heavily. Each time an invader turned into green crystals, they levitate and turn into invaders once again.  
  
"I can't keep this up anymore!" Bancho said.  
  
"Look Ukiya taishoo!" Fei said, pointing at Ukiya.  
  
"No way!" Kaoru said, seeing Izuka aim at Ukiya.  
  
Suddenly, a cold breeze passed through all of them. Megumi shivered involuntarily.  
  
"Yameru…" Yukino appeared. "You can't die now." She looked at Ukiya. "She's waiting. She's sleeping. You have to wake her. You have to live. All of you."  
  
"Open the gate of Ice and Snow…"Suddenly, all the invaders froze in ice and broke apart, and so did the crystals.   
  
"Darn it," Kageyama said. "She's always interfering."  
  
Izuka closed her eyes. "Let's go for now."  
  
"but we have the upper hand…"  
  
"I said, let's go!" Izuka cried out. A black shadow enveloped them both and they disappeared.  
  
"Matte! Rurippe!!!!" Ukiya called out, but it was of no use. He stood up and looked Yukino. "It seems like we owe so much to you."  
  
Yukino nods and with one "pikeeee" from Hisame, they disappeared.  
  
Kaoru looked at Ukiya. "What's going on here?"  
  
"I don't know…" Ukiya said, looking down at the yellow bow and putting it back in his pocket. "I really don't know."  
  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Why did we retreat?" Kageyama said.   
  
Izuka kept quiet and put her hand on her chest. Her heart was beating quite fast.  
'Darn that girl…she's fighting me, rejecting my soul, trying to push me away from her body.'. Izuka looked at Kageyama. He was starting to become annoying to work with.  
  
"Kage kun. I thank you for all your help until now."  
  
"What are you saying Izuka?"  
  
Izuka's eyes turned evil again. "Do you think I'm naïve and gullible?" she started to laugh. " You were very helpful but you've outlived your welcome."  
  
"What?" Kageyama took a step back, almost in fear.  
  
"I have found her. I do not need you anymore." She aimed her hand in Kageyama's direction. A yellow gate materialized.  
  
"It's been nice working with you." Her lips twisted into an evil smile.  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Who are you?" Ruriko looked at the girl who materialized out of nowhere. She has been wandering down, what looked like a dark oblivion when a girl who looked just like her except for silvery white hair appeared before her.  
  
"I am yourself…" She said.  
  
"What?" Ruriko asked. She shook her head. "Anyway, do you know how to get out of here?  
  
"You can't…you won't….you don't want to…" the girl said ominously.  
  
Ruriko's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Look at this…" She held Ruriko's hand. Scenes rolled through Ruriko's head. She sees Kageyama attack Ukiya but Ukiya evades it. She sees herself aim at Ukiya and attack him. Ukiya fell back and she sees herself go towards him, aiming at him again.  
  
"No way!" Ruriko said, "I couldn't…I wouldn't …" but as she doubts it, the scenes played out again. "Yamtete!" she said, putting her hands on either sides of her head and she fell to her knees.  
  
"You can stay here." Izuka offered. " You can stay and dream and don't have to worry about anything. You don't have to explain anything." With that, she disappeared.  
  
'I have to go back…' Ruriko thought. 'demo…' she laid down on the cool floor. 'It's so nice here…I don't want to leave…"  
  



	7. Calling You Home

Chapter Seven: Calling you home  
  
  
"Kageyama!" Ukiya shouted as he burst inside the room. He rushed to the hospital ever since Shirei told him that Kageyama was found near-death in the same abandoned school hours after the battle while AEGIS personnel were doing a search.  
  
Ukiya looked at the guy whose head was covered in bandages and an IV was running through his arm.  
  
"Ukiya Shun kun ka?" Kageyama whispered softly. Looking at him like this, Ukiya can't help but pity him.   
  
"What happened to you?" Ukiya asked, without a tone of anger in his voice.  
  
"Izuka…Izuka…" Kageyama winced. "She was just…using me…"  
  
"Who is this Izuka character anyway??"  
  
"Izuka is the negative Gatekeeper who created the invaders…"  
  
"You told me that the invaders were created a long time ago!"  
  
"She is just a wandering soul, living as long as there are desires."  
  
"But what does this have to do with Rurippe?" he had the sinking feeling again.  
  
"Izuka's gate is the Gate of Life. She was looking for the person who has the same gate…Izuka is inside Ruriko san's body."  
  
Ukiya looked down and stayed silent, with a loss for words.  
  
"It will be hard for you to defeat Izuka without hurting Ruriko." Kageyama said.  
  
"demo…demo…Izuka is evil! How can she use the Gate of Life?"  
  
"As long as Ruriko herself remain good and has no hatred, Izuka will be able to use the Gate of Life." Kageyama smiled. "Here's a tip for you. Whenever Izuka is the conscious persona, Izuka will be the one who will feel pain but if Ruriko san is the conscious one…"  
  
"I understand." Ukiya said, in a friendly tone, as if the two had been friends rather than enemies.  
  
"What are you gonna do now?" Kageyama said, smirking.  
  
"I have to get Ruriko." Ukiya said, opening the door. "I'll deal with you later." He added, closing the door behind him.  
  
"Ganbatte ne, Ukiya kun." Kageyama whispered.  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
"Now is the time." Izuka said, in the darkness, surrounded by the green crystals. "What is it Ruriko?" she said, talking to herself. She smiled. "Yes…the base is underneath the school. We just have to attack the school then. " She laughed evilly as the crystals turned into invaders.  
  
  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
"How was Kageyama san?" Kaoru asked Ukiya. Megumi winced.  
  
"He was okay…" he said, still thinking about the conversation with Kageyama.   
  
"Does that mean we have to fight Ruriko san?" Reiko thought.  
  
"Aiaiai! That would be terrible!' Fei cried out.  
  
Suddenly, they were all wrapped up in a blizzard but it hardly felt cold at all.   
  
"Yukino chan…" Ukiya said.  
  
"When your heart goes astray and your mind in wonder, look no further. Someone is calling you home. She's near, she's coming here."  
  
"what?" Ukiya asked but suddenly, an explosion caused rubble to spread everywhere.  
  
"The students!" Kaoru said. "People will be in trouble!"  
  
"We have to get an order from Shirei! We can't act unless there is a sortie." Ukiya said.  
  
"What about the explosion?" Bancho asked.  
  
Ukiya looked at Yukino. "Yukino chan, I'm counting on you."  
  
Yukino nodded. Ukiya and the others ran inside the school. Yukino looked on top of the roof and sees Izuka looking down at her with a twisted smile on her face.  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
"The evil Gatekeeper is trying to get into the base by destroying the school." Shirei said. "The AEGIS personnel will help evacuate the students. You will have to face the enemy and defeat it, even kill it if necessary."  
  
"The "it" you are talking about is Rurippe!" Ukiya said.  
  
"That doesn't matter. She is endangering the lives of many innocent people. You have a duty to protect the people even if it means killing someone close to you." Shirei explained, in his normal cold behavior.  
  
"We will fight the enemy." Ukiya said, in a tone just as cold. "but I cannot guarantee the "killing" part.  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Was that necessary, Shirei?" Ms. Ochiai asked after the Gatekeepers have left.   
  
Shirei nodded and went back to the file he was reading. "I called the Supreme Commander. He said to use all means to defeat the enemy but if we kill Ikusawa kun, Izuka's soul will still live and will awake again as soon as a person bearing the same gate power is born."  
  
"Masaka!" Ms. Ochiai said. "You don't mean…The sealing room?"  
  



	8. A Bittersweet Deal

Chapter Eight: A Bittersweet Deal  
  
The Gatekeepers Party rushed out the terrace, which was half destroyed by now. On either ends of the terrace stood Yukino and Izuka, looking at each other in deep concentration.   
"Stop it Izuka!" Ukiya called out. Both Yukino and Izuka turned to look at Ukiya. Ukiya nodded at Yukino. She understood and in a second, she was gone.  
"So, more playmates, I see! You must be the famous Gatekeepers of Japan who saved the country from the evil invaders…Shame on you!" she did a childish laugh and then looked at Ukiya. "You must be the hero himself, Ukiya Shun, captain of the Gatekeepers. I don't really want to fight you and I'm getting bored of your constant interference. That's why…I have a deal for you."  
  
"As if I'm gonna accept anything you will offer." Ukiya said.  
  
"Not so fast, boy." Izuka closed her eyes. "Yes…I see…" she said, talking to herself. "I have the power to resurrect people. How about if I give you a chance to see your father again? I can restore him to his original state…As long as you step aside. I understand how much you want to see your father to straighten things out…" she smiled.  
  
Ukiya hesitated for a moment. "Oto-san…" he shook his head. "NO! It's too late to save my father…he died 9 years ago, but…" he steadied his wooden sword. "I can still save Rurippe…" he added in a faint whisper.  
  
Suddenly, the earth shook, unbalancing them all. Invaders in the form of drills circled the whole school while flocks of invader in flying form swooped down on frightened students who were running away.  
  
"Ukiya!" Bancho cried out. "We have to finish this fast so we can save the school."  
  
Kaoru looked at Ukiya with a can-you-do-this gaze.  
  
"Evil is evil…" Ukiya said, closing his eyes. "Geeeeeeto! Opun! Long Range Vacuum Missile!" The blades of wind flew in Izuka's direction, losing none of its velocity.   
  
Izuka opened her own Gate. "Light Energy!" A mass of yellow light emerged from her mere hands and collided with the wind blade. The collision created a blinding light. Ukiya shielded his eyes from the light. As he cautiously opens his eyes, he sees Izuka still standing there.  
  
"This is getting too boring…you're not giving it you're all because you're afraid of hurting the girl…" she smiled. "It won't matter anyway, whatever you do, you will not stop me!" she cupped her hands again and a green crystal appeared. She lifted up her hands. "Open the Geeto!"  
  
A black robot appeared behind her. The robot had transparent dark wings instead of boosters on the back. One of its wrists contained a crossbow. Izuka literally "merged" with a robot.   
  
"Let's go Dark Angel!" she said.  
  
"Uso! A gate robot?" Ukiya asked, looking at the robot with awe.   
  
"Sempai!" a voice called above him. He looked up to see a helicopter with his gate robot dangling from the support cords. "Use the Gate Robot de yansu!" Megane called out.  
  
"Yosha! Megane!" Ukiya replied happily as the Gate Robot was dropped down. Shun entered the robot and turned the key. "Open the GEETO!". A gate formed in his eyes while the sensors on the board began to flash.  
  
"Ultra Sempu ge!" he shouted as he charged at the black robot. The dark angel backed away going over the railing. Shun was sure it would fall over but then it stretched out its wings and flew above the terraces.  
  
"Nani?" Ukiya asked in wonder. The robot's left arm, which contained the crossbow, was aiming at him. A black gate materialized. The outer circle was of the color black while the inner circle was yellow. Suddenly, an arrow appeared in the middle of the circle and was heading straight for him. He put the robots arms in front of him to avoid getting hit as more arrows came, hitting the floor around him.  
  
"This is no good. If this keeps up, the terrace will collapse." He remembered Shirei's command. 'You will have to face the enemy and defeat it, even kill it if necessary.'  
  
Ukiya shook his head. "Evil is…evil." He took a deep breath and then adjusted the booster to full power until it reached the red zone. After the robot was able to power up, he jumped up, the robot's arm surrounded by wind pressure, heading for the Robot. "Rurippe!!!!!!!!" he cried out. Izuka's eyes suddenly widen, then close.  
  
Ruriko slowly opened her eyes slowly. "Ukiya kun…" Someone called her name just now. "Ukiya kun!"  
  
Ruriko opened her eyes. She did not know what happened…or why she was in a robot.  
  
"Damn you!" someone whispered in her ear, in a voice similar to hers.   
  
Suddenly, a strong electrical surged through her body. She cried out in pain.  
  
"Rurippe!?" Shun hesitated and diverted his direction and released the wind energy towards a bunch of trees to the left and landed back down on the terrace. He looked at the Black robot. Electricity was visibly running through it. He had a feeling Ruriko was in pain.  
  
Ruriko tried to look for the source of the schock. "What the…" she fainted  
  
Shun saw the robot suddenly vanish. Ruriko was unconscious and without the robot, she started to fall. Ukiya outstretched the robot's hand to catch her. He laid her down the terrace floor as the others ran over to check on her.  
  
"Sempai!" Kaoru called out, after checking Ruriko's pulse." She's all right!"  
  
Shun breath a sigh of relief.  



	9. Follow your Heart

Chapter Nine: Follow your Heart   
  
"What's taking them so long?" Shun complained as he walked back and forth outside the AEGIS bus. Inside the bus, Shirei was talking to Ruriko. He was told that Ruriko regained consciousness and was her old self, for now…"They are so unfair!" he continued complaining "I wasn't even allowed to see her when she regained consciousness. He winced as he balled his fist. His hands hurt and his face contained slight burns trying to get rid of the remaining invaders after defeating Izuka. Unable to hold it any longer, he pressed his ear against the door.  
  
"You do understand, don't you Ikusawa kun?" Shirei was saying.  
  
"Hai." Was Ruriko's soft reply.  
  
"If we sacrifice one life, many lives will be saved. On the other hand, if we let you free, many lives will be taken away. If Izuka decides to become conscious again, there is no way of telling what the damages will be."  
  
"So…" Ruriko hesitated. "Will I be killed?"  
  
"It doesn't work that way. If we kill you, Izuka's soul will start wandering again and when the next person who has the Gate of Life is born, the disaster will start over again. I checked with the main HQ, and they opted to seal you along with Izuka."  
  
"…seal?"  
  
"There is a room deep within the base called the sub-zero chamber. First, the chamber will be filled with sleeping gas, then with a refrigerant, similar to cryogenics. Think of it as a long sleep."  
  
"demo…"  
  
"I know it's not your fault." Shirei said. "this is truly a tragedy but if you agree to this many lives will be saved. It will be painless, I promise."  
  
"…….hai."  
  
Ukiya's eyes widen as he stepped away from the door. The handle turned and the door opened. As if on cue, 3 black cars arrived in the scene. Out came AEGIS personnel carrying heavy duty guns.   
  
Ruriko looked at Ukiya's burnt face. 'How much damage did I actually do?' she thought. Ukiya turned to look at her but Ruriko avoided his gaze.   
  
"Rurippe…" Ukiya said. Two guards escorted Ruriko and Shirei into one of the cars. Ruriko stopped and said. "Gomen nasai, Ukiya kun."   
  
Ukiya's eyes widen. "Rurippe!" he called out and started to walk towards her but his arms were gripped roughly by two AEGIS personal. He saw Ruriko already enter the black car. "Wait Rurippe!" he wrenched away from the grasp of the guards and took a step towards the car. He fell back as the back of a gun hit his stomach. He fell to the ground with a thud and clutched his stomach. "hurts…hurts…" he heard the cars zoom away and the guards were gone.   
  
"Sempai!" Kaoru ran to him. "Daijobou ka?"   
  
Ukiya nodded and sat up.  
  
"What do we do now?" Reiko asked.  
  
Ukiya looked down, his hair covering his eyes. "We go home."  
  
"What!" Kaoru asked. "Aren't you gonna save Ikusawa sempai or something?"  
  
"But…Shirei said…if she…the world will be saved…"  
  
"So you're just gonna stand by and watch Ikusawa sempai die again?"  
  
Ukiya winced. "That's not true…but I…"  
  
"Who do you really want to save right now, the world or Ikusawa sempai?"  
  
"Shirei said…"  
  
Kaoru shook her head. "No, what do YOU think?"  
  
Ukiya looked at Kaoru, then at Megane. "Megane, start up the AEGIS bus."  
  
Kaoru smiled. "Sempai!"  
  
"Arigato, Kaoru chan." Ukiya said and ran towards the bus.  
  
"Jeez." Kaoru whispered as she watched Ukiya climb up the bus. "He's so insensitive."  
  
"Why did you do that?"  
  
Kaoru turned around to look at Megumi, who has been listening to their conversation.  
  
"What do you mean?" Kaoru asked.  
  
"You keep pushing the man you love into the arms of another woman. I don't understand."  
  
"Of course you wouldn't understand." Kaoru said as she turned around and took a step towards the bus. She stopped instantly to add, "It is because you only think about yourself. That's why Ikusawa sempai will always be better than you. She knows how to make sacrifices for everyone. That's called being kindhearted." She resumed walking.  
  
"Kindheartedness?" Megumi repeated. "Not popularity…not intelligence…not richness, not even beauty…but kindheartedness?  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
"The sealing chamber is on the far side of the base. " Megane said. "If we entered the base from the school, we'd be captured even before we get there. There is another way in through a grocery store." He looked at them all. "That's the best chance we've got to get to the chamber undetected. As soon as we get inside the base, you guys will encounter enemies…"  
  
"We'll take care of them." Bancho said confidently. "You just have to worry about saving Ruriko hime." He added, patting Ukiya on the back.  
  
The bus turned into a dark alley. When they reached the end, Megane turned off the engine and they all poured out of the vehicle silently.   
  
"There it is!" Megane announced. He pointed towards an abandoned grocery store. Megane slowly opened the door and stepped inside. Moments later, his arm emerged from the inside, motioning them to come in.  
  
The group piled into the store. It was dark and they nearly tripped over their own feet trying to find a passageway.  
  
Suddenly, lights flickered. The group looked at Megumi who was standing beside a light switch. "Blind fools…" she said with a slight note of amusement in her voice, instead of sarcasm.  
  
"Kore!" Megane gleefully said. He pointed to a bunch of shelves. "Bancho, sempai, help me get the shelves out."  
  
Bancho, obliged to show his physical prowess, took one side while Ukiya battled with the other one.   
  
"Sempai," Kaoru said, "Let me…"  
  
"Ie, Kaoru chan." Ukiya said. "It's okay." His side rose a few inches from the floor and together, they got it out of the way, revealing a steel door.   
  
Megane walked over to the panel on the left of the door and began to punch some numbers. A green light went of and the steel door opened, making way for an elevator of some sort.  
  
"The sensors in this elevator and the hallways below have been discarded. Let's go de yansu!!" Megane said.  
  
All of them piled into the elevator. As the doors closed and Megane pushed a button, Ukiya took a deep breath.  
  
'This is one mission you can't mess up.' He thought.  
  



	10. The Shadow of Treason

Chapter Ten: The Shadow of Treason  
  
The group tensed as the elevator doors opened, expecting company, but there was no one. They all stepped down from the elevator and walked down the poorly lit hall.   
  
"This was a part of the original base but now it's deserted." Megane said.   
  
"Sugoi Megane! You sure do know a lot!" Shun said.  
  
They approached a hallway bathe in light. This was where they heard voices.  
  
"What do we do now?" Shun asked.  
  
"That is the armory." Megane replied pointing the room which was the origin of the voices. "Past that is the sealing chamber."  
  
"We'll create a diversion by attacking the guards in the armory." Kaoru said.  
  
"Then you go into the sealing chamber, get Ikusawa sempai and go out through the back door. That will take you down a long hallway that will lead you to the main office. Get out through the school, okay?" Megane said.  
  
Ukiya nods. "Yosha! Let's do it!"  
  
The gang ran towards the armory. "Intruder alert!" shouted the guards in the armory.  
  
The Gatekeepers poured into the armory while Megane and Ukiya snuck past it and entered the next room.  
  
"Wow!" was the first word that escaped Ukiya's lips as he looked around the room. The chamber contained mostly of computers. Blinking lights, buttons here and there. In the middle of the room stood a giant capsule like that of a big testube with light blue water inside. Inside was….was….  
  
"Rurippe!" he ran towards the capsule and knocked on the glass surface.  
  
Megane was toying with the control panel. "Her body temperature hasn't dropped that much. It means she was sealed just a short while ago." He looked around the panel. "I can't find a way to open the capsule"  
  
Ukiya punched the glass. "Ow ow!!!" he howled as his fist swelled up. He has to hurry or else Rurippe will…. Rurippe will….  
  
He took his wooden sword and struck the capsule. He winced as glass flew everywhere and cold liquid gushed out. He caught Ruriko just as she fell out from the capsule. Her body felt deathly cold. He carried her up on his back.   
  
Suddenly, an alarm went off inside the chamber. "Megane!" he said.  
  
"Don't worry about me, sempai." Megane replied. "Get out through the back door. I'll take care of everything here." He punched a few buttons.  
  
Ukiya ran towards the door, not giving anything a second glance. He stepped into a hallway with red lights because of the alarm. He ran through the hallway, not conscious of the weight on his back because of Ruriko. He does feel her cold breath against his neck. As soon as he reached the end of the hallway, he grabbed the giant door with both hands and opened it.   
  
He gasped. Around him were many AEGIS personnel with guns. Shirei stood in the center.   
  
"Ukiya kun," he said. "Put down the girl. We need her sealed. It's for the protection for a lot of people. If you return her now, We'll forget about it. Ukiya kun!" he said in a commanding tone.  
  
-Silence-  
  
"I repeat Ukiya kun. Return the girl now."  
  
"Gomen ne…demo…" Ukiya said, raising his sword. "I can't obey that Order!"  
  
Ukiya opened his gate and charged towards the guards. Just as he has planned, they all backed away. The wind pressure was acting as a good shield too. When he reached the elevator, he pressed the button repeatedly as he watched the personnel getting closer. Thankfully, the shaft closes and he felt the elevator starts going up.  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
"Shirei!" a voice said over the intercom. "The boy is running through the school right now. What are your orders sir?"  
  
"Relentless Pursuit. Get the girl back at all cost."  
  
"What about the boy?"  
  
"Kill him if he resists arrest." He said, in a monotone voice.  
  
"Shirei…" Miss Ochiai said, worried.  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Ukiya was starting to get tired of running. He was now in the main hall, near the main door. He pushed the door aside and he stepped out into the afternoon heat. The sun was setting and where wasn't enough time. He looked back to see he was still being chased by the guards. He turned into the streets. He ran even faster.   
  
"This…is….getting…hard…" Ukiya said, trying to catch his breath. He heard tires squeal making Ukiya turn his head a little. He saw three black cars chasing him. "Oh no.."  
  
Suddenly, the AEGIS bus overtook the three black cars and ran by Ukiya's side. The doors open and Bancho pulls Ukiya inside.  
  
"Was that cool or what?" Bancho asked.  
  
"Yeah…" Ukiya replied, still out of breath, as he carried Ruriko over to a seat.   
  
"Don't look now you guys but it ain't over yet." Megane said, looking through the side mirror. The three black cars were catching up…..really fast.  
  
"Let me handle it!" Fei said. She stuck her head out the window and climb up on the roof of the bus. "Kaime!" she said. "Fire Panda!"  
  
The panda charged towards the cars, who stopped suddenly, tires screeching as they pulled at the side of the road.   
  
Fei climbed back into the bus.   
  
"Where do we go now?" Reiko asked.  
  
"Right. We betrayed AEGIS…" Kaoru added.  
  
"We have nowhere to go! Oh no!" Bancho said, overacting as usual.  
  
"No…" Ukiya said. "We have one more place to go…" he looked at Ruriko, who was peacefully sleeping in the bus seat.  



	11. There's no Place like Home

Chapter Eleven: There's no Place like Home  
  
"Ani san!" Ukiya Saemi called out as the already familiar AEGIS bus stopped beside their house. "Oka san, ani chan is home!" she gleefully ran inside the house and passed by their mother, who anxiously ran towards the door, trying to see what the commotion was all about.  
  
"Shun!" her smile faded as she saw her son get off the bus with his childhood friend unconscious in his arms.  
  
"Oka san…" Shun said, his eyes pleading for help. His mother understood him. She nodded towards inside the house and Shun brushed passed her as he entered the house and went directly in the direction of their room and placed Ruriko on the bed. He sighed and left the room. He encountered his little sister on his way out, her eyes confused and worried. He smiles and pats her on the head.  
  
"Mou, neko janai!" Saemi objected, annoyed.  
  
Ukiya joined the others who were gathered around the table.  
  
"How is she?" Kaoru asked.  
  
"She's still sleeping." Ukiya said, as he sat down beside her.   
  
His mother went emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray of cup "Tea anyone?"  
  
Most of them nodded their thanks.   
  
"We have only a night to stay over. Tomorrow, we leave. AEGIS knows we're here, I think." Shun said.  
  
Megumi, who had been silent, nodded. "Don't underestimate them. They'll be here."  
  
"All of you should sleep and get your rest." Ukiya's mom advised. "Saemi, help me take out the sleeping bags."  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Ukiya looked at Ruriko sleeping peacefully. He was sitting on a small chair his mother placed beside the bed. His hands her placed above Ruriko's. Her hand still felt cold. He shuddered to think what would happen if Ruriko woke up….but….maybe it was better for her to be asleep like this…She does look more beautiful this way….  
  
Shun blushed a little and then yawned. "It's going to be alright." He lowered his head until they were resting on his hands. "Daijobou….Ruri ruri…."  
  
She woke up because the light was blinding her eyes. She looked for her son who told her he'd just turn off the light when he felt sleepy already. She rose to find her son already asleep beside the bed. She took a blanket and wrapped it around her son and patted his head. He is being just like his father. She smiled and turned off the light.   
  
Megumi winced as the darkness sets in. Someone turned off the light and everyone was already asleep. Megumi tried to sleep but she couldn't. Her thoughts, no matter how much she tried to ignore it, came coming back, haunting her.   
  
"Kageyama…" she couldn't take the thought of his disappearance away from her mind after the incident. Now she found out he was alive…It tortured her to know that he was alive. She stopped as she caught herself smiling at the thought of him in the hospital, almost paralyzed. There was anger swirling around her. Angry at how Kageyama used her and was constantly torturing her with his mere presence. Angry at AEGIS for getting her off the hook but deep inside she knew how they hated her for being a traitor. Angry at Ruriko, for being better and being weak enough to actually be possessed. Angry at the Izuka girl for just showing up and destroyed the hope for a new beginning…for bringing Kageyama. Angry at Kaoru….for what she said….before she could help herself, memories of their conversation popped into her mind.  
  
"Why did you do that?" Megumi said.  
  
"What do you mean?" Kaoru asked.  
  
"You keep pushing the man you love into the arms of another woman. I don't understand."  
  
"Of course you wouldn't understand…It is because you only think about yourself. That's why Ikusawa sempai will always be better than you. She knows how to make sacrifices for everyone. That's called being kindhearted."   
  
"Kindheartedness?" Megumi repeated. "Not popularity…not intelligence…not richness, not even beauty…but kindheartedness?  
  
Megumi winced at the memory. Most importantly, she was angry at herself. For trusting Kageyama like a fool, for being involved in this mess, for betraying everyone, for not being kind hearted like Ruriko, for being weaker than her and most importantly, for not being able to stop herself from thinking about Kageyama and her willingness to believe in him again.  
  
There was so much hate and anger generating through her right now. She looked at her hands. She was afraid that with all this hate, a black gate would suddenly pop out. She heard footsteps around the room. She quickly closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. The footsteps passed by the place she was sleeping in. She heard the door slide open and close again. Silence filled the room. Suddenly, an uneasy feeling passed through her. It was the same feeling she got when she was face to face with Kageyama in the WHK hall. Something was definitely wrong.   
  
She arose quietly so as not to wake anyone up. She glanced around the room as her eyes adjusted themselves to the dark. She continued walking around the room. She looked at the direction of the bed and gasped. The moonlight coming from the window was more than enough for Megumi to make out a lot of tangled sheets and…nothing else.  
  
She made a beeline for their sleeping leader. She grabbed his shoulders and shook them violently.   
  
"What!" Ukiya asked, still groggy from the sudden break from peaceful slumber. He raised his head to be greeted by a creepy empty bed. He turned sideways to see Megumi, face etched in fear and worry. Based on what he could see, he knew what she was about too say.  
  
Finding her voice, Megumi cried out. "She's…gone!"  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Neko janai- Saemi always says this when Shun pats her head. Roughly means "I'm not a cat!"  
  
Ruri Ruri- this actually came from Nadesico's Hoshino Ruri, who is called by many as "Ruri ruri"  
  
P.S: I do not own Neadesico either! 


	12. The Death of a Dark Angel

Chapter Twelve: The Death of A Dark Angel  
  
"Where am I?" Ruriko looked at her surroundings, squinting her eyes to focus but everything seemed to be a blur. She doesn't know where she is going or even why she is walking around in the middle of the night…or if it was in the middle of the night time.   
She can't seem to command her feet to stop. She knew she was walking for no reason at all but she failed to command her brain to stop. Imagine how it was to wake up in the middle of the night with a voice saying, "Let's go" in her head over and over again. The voice stopped as soon as she was on the road but she can't seem to think for herself. She stopped and looked up. An old, familiar tower greeted her.   
  
Ruriko was surprised to hear the words, "Perfect, I will be able to revive the crystals hiding all over Japan." Come out from her lips. It was even accompanied by an evil laugh. Ruriko wanted to cover her mouth with her hands but her hands seemed to have a mind of their own.   
  
"I've had it with your feeble attempts." Said a voice in her ear. A sharp pain filled her lungs and suddenly, she can't breathe. The world started to spin around her. Darkness filled her vision and…. nothing.  
  
Ukiya looked at the sidewalks as the AEGIS bus zoomed by. It took a while to get everyone to wake up and get into the bus to look for Ruriko. The city was big but she couldn't have gone far, could she?  
  
"Uh…Ukiya, you'd better take a look at this…" Bancho said, his head outside the window. Ukiya stuck his head out the window. "Oh man…"  
  
Ahead of them, the steel tower was glowing with an unknown yellow aura.  
  
"What now Sempai?" Megane asked, uncertain.  
  
"To the tower…I have a very bad feeling about this…"  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Izuka laughed evilly. "Now the sleeping crystals all over Japan will be awakened!"  
  
  
True enough, we see crystals, being swept away by the water in the sewers transform. Night watchmen scream as they scrambled to their feet to run away as invaders pop their head out from the manholes. In dark alleys, alley cats run away as invaders emerged. All of them headed towards the tower…all of them.  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
Kaoru can see the tower from afar. "We're almost there-what?!?"  
The bus shook as invaders, disguised as the roadways, jumped up, taking the bus with it.  
Everyone scrambled out of the bus and hit the pavement roughly as they watched the bus explode as it crashed back down. Many people awoke from their slumber and were now running away from their houses.  
  
Ukiya was busy thinking about their past battles and his conversation with Kageyama. "I think I found the answer…" Suddenly, his watch bleeped. "Eh? AEGIS?  
He opened the sensor, nevertheless. He was er….greeted by Shirei's face.  
  
"Shirei?"  
  
"Look above you Ukiya taishoo." Shirei said. Shun obeyed and looked to see a helicopter with his…yes! The Gate Robot!  
  
"Shirei?" he looked at the man in his watch.  
  
"It's all up to you Ukiya taishoo, but if you fail, it will be your responsibility."   
  
"Hai!" Ukiya replied cheerfully.   
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Shirei?" Ms, Ochiai said, inquiringly, with a smile.  
  
"If they can't do it, nobody can." Shirei answered, smiling back. He turned his attention to the interactive map as Japan registered more red dots indicating invader sitings.  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"The little pay-things are here again, I see…" Izuka said, in her gate robot, Dark Angel shifting her gaze from the gate robot to the rest of them on the ground.   
  
"You can't fool us anymore Izuka." Ukiya retorted.  
  
"Oh?" Izuka laughed. "You still can't fight me because your afraid the girl will get hurt."  
  
"That won't work on me anymore. I know now that if I attack you, you will experience the pain."  
  
"Oh???"  
  
"Yes. If you are the conscious party, you will be the one who gets hurt, If Ruriko is the conscious party, she will be the one who gets hurt."  
  
Izuka scoffed. "Then I'll just make her conscious again so she will feel the pain."  
  
"I'll defeat you before you could do that!" Ukiya said, as the gate robot charged towards Izuka's robot.   
  
"What?" Izuka said, falling back, surprised at Ukiya's speed. Ukiya's gate robot turned swiftly, pursuing every move Izuka makes, making attacking impossible; it took all of her just to defend. "I'll just wait till you get tired and---what?" The Dark Angel fell back as Ukiya outstretched both arms and hit the Dark Angel's arms. Electricity ran through the hands as they were momentarily paralyzed. She raised her hands so she can attack but screamed as an electric shock ran through her body. The gate robot fell to it's knees.   
  
Izuka cursed at herself for falling into a trap. She saw Ukiya plunge the gate robots hand into Dark Angel and took out it's Gate engine. Izuka cursed again and tried to move the machine but to no avail. Ukiya continued bashing it's head and the whole robot fell apart, it's pieces littering the ground.  
  
Ukiya looked ahead of him and narrowed his eyes. Izuka was floating in mid-air, surrounded by a think yellow aura. She cried out loud and an unknown force. Ukiya kneeled down so that the gate robot can protect his friends who were on foot. Small amounts of electricity ran down the control panel as the gate robot received most of the impact. Suddenly, he pulled the booster level to high, and at the midst of Izuka's attack, he charged at her at full speed.  
  
"Sempai!" Kaoru cried out. Bancho grabbed her and pulled her to safety as the invisible force still assaulted them.  
  
Ukiya winced as parts of the robot's outer body tore away because of his resistant meeting of Izuka's attack.  
  
Izuka slowly opened her eyes, she could make out the gate robot charging at her. "Baka. I'll just make Ruriko conscious and she will feel everything and I will feel nothing." She smiled.  
  
"Ultra Sempu ge!" Ukiya said, creating his attack, charging at Izuka at full speed.  
  
Izuka closed her eyes and slipped herself back into Ruriko's sub consciousness.  
  
"Megumi, now!" Ukiya ordered as he was only inches away from Izuka and saw that she fell unconscious.  
  
Megumi opened her gate but…was it too late???  



	13. A Kind-Hearted Soul

Chapter Thirteen: A Kind Hearted Soul  
  
Ukiya slowly opened his eyes and sighed with relief. Ruriko was unconscious---and safe inside Megumi's green barrier. He got out from his Gate Robot and stood below it. The green sphere lowered little by little and disappeared. Shun catches Ruriko and looks at her. Except for a few burns by the shock, she was fine.   
  
Megumi lowers her outstretched hand. "I CAN be Kind-hearted." She said with a smile. "I'm even better than Ruriko at it."   
  
They turned their heads towards the black cars that came screeching towards the scene. They stopped and Shirei came out from one of them. Shun's hold on Ruriko tightened protectively.   
  
Shirei looked at Shun. "The Enemy hasn't been defeated."  
  
Shun replies. "But I haven't failed yet."  
  
After a short, awkward pause, Shirei said. "Get in the car. We're going to the hospital."   
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Ah!!!" Ukiya cried out in frustration. Nothing seemed to be working. Everything they did was useless. He looked at Ruriko, who was asleep in the hospital bed. The doctor just came to give Ruriko a shot of "something to make her sleep". Ukiya shuddered at the doctor's mad expression when he said this. He contemplated whether they should just tie Ruriko up to the bed so she can't go anywhere. Absentmindedly, Ukiya smiled mischievously at the thought, then turn serious under the confused looks of his comrades. They were either burned, or bandaged, or both. Ukiya sighed, tired of trying to think of ways to save her.  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Megumi stopped at door number 205. She went out of Ruriko's room even if everyone did praise her for what she did. She smiled then, but a voice said in her ear, 'He's here…he's here…'  
  
That voice led her to ask for information on the booth. She took a deep breath and entered the room.   
  
He was still sleep, his blond hair messy and his pale skin even paler. She quietly closed the door behind her---not quietly enough she realized when he stirred and opened his red eyes.  
  
Megumi thought he would be mad but instead he smiled. "Megumi…."  
  
"I'm sorry to wake you up," she said her voice emotionless and monotonic.   
He shook his head, which to Megumi, seemed harder to do than it looked. "How is Ukiya?" Kageyama asked.  
  
"He's fine…Ruriko is unconscious right now…" she broke off.  
  
"You know you can help them, don't you?" Kageyama said, willing Megumi to look him in the eye.  
  
"I've helped them enough…" Megumi answered, avoiding his gaze. There were so many things she wanted to say, wanted to ask, but knowing Reiji, he was probably reading her thoughts right now.  
  
"Why are you afraid of me?' he asked, reading her thoughts.  
  
"I'm not afraid of you! I'm angry!" she retorted, her voice getting softer as she went on, ending with barely a whisper.  
  
"Go help them," Kageyama said. "Bugs ask help from each other and need each other."   
  
"Are you saying that I'm a bug?" she asked, not really angry but amused.  
  
"A SPECK of a bug, " he corrected, obviously amused himself.  
  
Megumi wanted to hit herself for being a little too friendly than she hoped to be. Fuming, she left the room and closed the door behind her, what she hoped was loud enough for Kageyama to assume she was mad.  
  
'I am afraid of you' she thought, as she walked towards Ruriko's room. 'I'm afraid that even though I know you betrayed me, you still have control over me.'   
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Heads turned as the door opened and Megumi entered the room again. She had slipped out so quietly, no one noticed her.   
  
"Where were you?" Kaoru asked.  
  
"Thinking…" Megumi answered, blushing. She coughed and said, "I might just have the solution to your problem.   
  
"Really?" Ukiya asked excitedly. "What is it?"  
  
"Dark Psychic Intrusion." Megumi said matter-of-factly.   
  
"but that's something you do when you use the black gate!" Reiko said.  
"Finally, you figure something out." Megumi said sarcastic, but monotonic.  
  
"But you can't use your black gate…can you?" Fei asked.  
  
"I can…. just need hatred." And she knew she had more than enough hatred in her to do this. Most of them were protesting. Megumi looked at Ukiya. She knew how he would respond.  
  
"It's worth a try." He said. He would try anything…anything….  
  
"It's your call…" Megumi warned. "You'll be inside Ruriko's heart. There's no telling what you'll find out or if you'll see Izuka."  
  
Ukiya nodded.  
  
"Give me your hand." Megumi instructed. Ukiya outstretched his hand. Megumi took it and put it on top of Ruriko's own hands. Megumi closed her eyes and concentrated on everything she hated, everything she thought about the night before, this time calling negative energy to her. The thoughts ran through her head over and over and over again. Just as when Megumi thought tears were about to fall from her eyes, she heard Shun gasp. Megumi opened her eyes to see a black hole had formed in their hands. Megumi pushed Ukiya's hands a little bit and saw them disappearing through the hole.  
  
Ukiya felt Megumi literally push his hands lower, this time with more force. He closed his eyes as he felt himself falling….falling….falling….falling? to where? He felt his body go completely light. Just as when he began to worry when the falling would end, he felt himself fall on cold floor.   
  
He cautiously opened his eyes. All he could see was a dark void. "Where am I?"  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Megumi looked at Ukiya, who fell unconscious beside the hospital bed. She tried to concentrate, keeping her hand on top of Ukiya's, keeping her thoughts solid.  
  
"What happened to sempai?" Kaoru asked, worried.  
  
"Aiaiaiai!" Fei added.  
  
"Is he dead?" Reiko ask, obviously back to her old clueless self.  
  
Megumi shifted her gaze from Ukiya, then to Ruriko and back to Ukiya. "It's all up to him now." She said, making the others look at her confused.  



	14. What Goes on in a Lonely Heart

Chapter Fourteen: What goes on in a Lonely Heart  
  
Ukiya walked around a little bit more. He can't see anything except an endless void of, well…nothingness. Suddenly, he hears someone sobbing. He looks into the direction the sobs came from and saw Ruriko, seated with her arms around her legs and knees, which she hugged to her chest, her head was buried between her knees and she was crying. Ukiya was sure it was Ruriko. He started to walk towards the crying girl when he was thrown off by an unknown force. He got up fast, and faced his attacker. She looked exactly like Ruriko but with pale blue eyes and silvery white hair with a touch of pink. Her sly smile told him her identity.  
  
"Tsuzuhani Izuka." He said.  
  
Izuka nodded. "I'm not going to ask how you are here, much less why you're here but I'm glad my victim came to me…you saved me a lot of time looking for you and trying to find a strategy to defeat you but I guess I'll use the advantage I have on you…"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Without your precious gate robot, you are nothing, boy."  
  
"We'll see about that," he said, his wooden sword appearing out of nowhere. "Vacuum Missile!" he charged towards her. It never reached her.   
  
Suddenly, a shield enveloped around her. Ukiya fell to the ground as her counter attack hit him hard.  
  
"I didn't know she could…do a …shield." He mumbled as he got up.  
  
"Oh did I forget to tell you?" Izuka said, in mock innocence. "This is Ruriko's heart. As long as I have complete control of her brain and her heart, I will be able to do anything I want!" She released an energy force in Ukiya's direction.  
  
Ukiya jumped aside to evade Izuka's attack. He barely made it, and he still hit the floor because of the jump.  
  
"Rurippe…"he begged at the still sobbing girl in the corner. She seemed so far away….as if she couldn't hear anything that was happening…  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Ruriko covered her ears. "No!" she cried out and continued to sob. "She was afraid of what was happening to her. How she would suddenly wake up not knowing what happened. How everyone thinks she is better of gone. That she was being blamed for things she didn't do…now she was beginning to believe she WAS responsible for all of those things, though she had no memory of the attacks whatsoever. She was sick and tired of trying to figure out what was happening around her. Afraid of the voices in her ear. Afraid of hearing herself say things and see herself do things she didn't think of doing and don't want to do. It would be easier if Shun was there to comfort her but the last time he saw her, he simply stood by while she was being led away by the personnel…She doesn't even know if that's exactly what happened. Frustrated, she started crying again.   
  
Suddenly, she felt chilly. She hugged herself closer but still the cold pierced through her. She shivered.  
  
"Do not despair, for it gives us few desires and many fears. Do not fear…what is it exactly you fear?" Yukino said, materializing out of nowhere.  
  
"I don't know! I don't know." Ruriko replied, her hands covering her ears but she can still hear her.  
  
"You fear the unknown. Yet the unknown is nothing. Therefore you have nothing to fear. Close your ears to the noises in your heart and you will hear…"  
  
"Hear what?"  
  
"Silence your heart…"  
  
Ruriko blocked out her thoughts of despair and began to relax.  
  
"Rurippe! Can you hear me Rurippe! Wake up Rurippe!"  
  
"Ukiya kun!" Ruriko's eyes bolted open and her head turned towards the sound. She saw Ukiya fell against the wall. She took notice of Izuka who still had her arm aimed at him.   
  
"NO!" she screamed but as she went towards them, she encountered a glass barrier…of her own despair, her own pains.  
  
She watched, in horror, as a force attacked Ukiya and he sprawled on the floor. She forgot everything she was thinking about replaced with fear that Ukiya might die. The fear ruled over the rest.  
  
"UKIYA KUN!!" she screamed and the glass broke. Without the glass, supporting her, she fell to the floor together with the broken glass. She winced as she saw blood snake down her arms but she stood up in a hurry. Incredulously, the two didn't hear the glass breaking. Nonetheless, Ruriko started running towards them.  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"See?" Izuka said, laughing. "I told you that without your Gate robot, you are nothing….I guess I was right…"   
  
She thought about another force coming out of her hand but when nothing happened, she looked confused. " Why can't I create my attacks by telepathy anymore?"  
  
"Because they are MY attacks not yours." A voice said. Both of them turned to find Ruriko standing there with a bow in her hand.   
  
"Rurippe!" Ukiya called out.  
  
Ruriko kneeled beside Ukiya and started healing him.   
  
"What are you doing?" Izuka asked. Ruriko wasn't supposed to be here. She was supposed to be beyond the glass…Izuka looked over to see the broken pieces of the glass.  
"She broke through my…"  
  
"…Spell." Ruriko finished. She stood up again, this time with Ukiya behind her, looking completely uninjured.   
  
"Until now, you've been controlling my mind, using my powers, taking over my life…"  
  
"You don't have a life!" Izuka said. "You were born simply because your body would be a host for my soul."  
  
"Usotsuki!" Ruriko retorted.  
  
"It's true!" said Izuka. "You should thank me for coming. You don't have your own life. Your life and mine are one. You don't exist without me. Killing me would be like killing your only reason for living. You're a puppet Ruriko, accept it!"  
  
"NO!" she said, pulling out her arrows. She aimed them straight at Izuka.  
  
"Go on, destroy me, but you will lose your own life in the process because we are connected. "  
  
"Stop your lies! This is my mind, my body, my power! I won't let you use it any longer." She released the arrows and they headed straight for Izuka.  
  
Izuka's scream rose above the blinding light that enveloped around the area.   
  
"Rurippe! Rurippe!" Ukiya called out but couldn't find her anywhere.  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Ah!" Megumi released Ukiya's hand. She lost concentration suddenly for no reason at all.  
  
"Rurippe!" Ukiya woke up shouting.   
"What happened?" everyone asked at the same time.  
  
"There was this light….and….I couldn't find her any more…"  
  
He felt a hand tighten around his own. He looked down to see Ruriko's hand wrapped around his. He looked up at her face. She looked at peace like she was…. she…was…  
  
"Daijobou," Shun said. "She's just asleep."   
  
next Chapter: Last Chapter, chapter 15: MEMORIES (to be continued...) 


	15. The Same Old Feeling

Chapter Fifteen: The Same Old Feeling  
  
Ruriko slowly opened her eyes. Her heart started beating fast as soon as her blurry surroundings became clear. She felt eyes looking at her.  
  
"Ikusawa sempai!" Kaoru said, overjoyed.   
  
"Minna…" Ruriko whispered. "Ukiya kun…"she widened her eyes, now fully awake. "Where's Ukiya?"  
  
"He's downstairs getting a drink." Fei said.  
  
"Come to think about it…he's been gone a long time…" Reiko added.  
  
Ruriko sat up suddenly, every word, every event became clear as she remembered everything that happened against her own will. She slid off the bed and stood up, rushing towards the door. The door opened and closed with a bang.  
  
Everyone was confused for a moment.  
  
"What's wrong with her?" Bancho asked, clueless.  
  
Heads turned as the door opened. Ukiya entered the room and looked at the empty bed. "Where's Rurippe?" he asked, handing each one of them their drinks.  
  
Bancho shrugged. "She went out."  
  
Ukiya stared at Bancho, trying to decipher his words. Then, he rushed towards the door. The door opened and closed with a bang yet again.  
  
Everyone sighed.  
  
"What's wrong with him?" Bancho asked, just as clueless.  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
Ruriko took a deep breath. The sun was starting to come up and dawn was close at hand. She leaned against the railing on the hospital terrace. She sighed. 'I've been here before.' She thought. But the last time, it was Ukiya who was injured and was the primary reason for being at the hospital. She winced as she remembered SHE almost killed him at that time. She remembered how easily a letter deceived her. She felt ever since she met Ukiya again, she has been a bother to him and their group mates. She sighed again. 'Even when we were children, I was a bother to him and to everyone.' She added to herself, remembering the vase accident. It felt like no matter how hard she tried, she will still make so many mistakes and it doesn't matter how hard she tried anyway because this life didn't even belong to her.   
  
"You don't have a life!" Izuka said. "You were born simply because your body would be a host for my soul."  
  
She winced at the memory of Izuka's words. She didn't know where to go from here. It now feels like that ever since she was born she was nothing more than a tool to be used when she grew older. 'Pathetic.' She thought. She sighed once again.  
  
"Mou!" said a voice behind her. "If I have to watch you wince or sigh, I'm gonna crack!"  
  
Ruriko turned to look at Ukiya walking towards her. 'He can be so care free.' She thought. This situation required seriousness and only Shun knew how to joke at a time like this. She wiped the tears that started to form in her eyes.  
  
"I don't know what the big deal is," he continued. "You should be happy you're here now and Izuka is gone."  
  
She wanted to cry out how she felt right now. Suddenly, the tears she was keeping inside fell down her cheeks, replacing the words she wanted to say. Ukiya's face switched to one of concern and a little bit of confusion.  
  
"Rurippe…" he said, surprised at this outburst of emotion. It was weird, even for Ruriko.   
  
Ruriko felt herself start shivering. Wordlessly, leaned her head forward, burying her head at the side of Ukiya's neck, silently begging for comfort. She felt Ukiya's arms wrap themselves around her, holding her.  
  
Ukiya felt Ruriko shaking. "You shouldn't be like this…"  
  
"Thank you…" Ruriko said. "…For saving me, from the sealing chamber, from Izuka and from myself…"  
  
"Daijobou…" Ukiya comforted. He heard Ruriko sniffle. A slight smile played his lips.  
  
"You should stop crying or else you'll start sniveling again."  
  
A small laugh escaped Ruriko's lips. "You're right. It's just that everything that Izuka had said…born a nothing, die a nothing…"  
  
"That's not true!" Ukiya said, looking for the right thing to say. Comforting somebody was not something he was good at. "You're not a nothing. In fact….in fact you're definitely something!" Wait…that didn't come out right. That wasn't what he meant.   
  
Ruriko started to laugh. Ukiya sighed with relief. It looks like she was fine even though things didn't go exactly as he had planned. It was a lot easier to say things when a genocide arrow was aiming at your heart. He sighed.  
  
"Now you are the one who's sighing." Ruriko said.   
  
'It's just because…"  
  
Ruriko stepped back and leaned against the railing again. Ukiya joined her.  
  
"You remember the last time we were here?' Ukiya asked.  
  
Ruriko nodded, blushing a little bit at the memory.   
  
"You remember everything I said?" he continued.  
  
Ruriko nodded. She expected Ukiya to ask her something, but he stayed silent. After a long pause of unbearable silence. "About that time…do you still feel the same?"  
She looked at him. He was looking at the sunrise. His emotions and feelings where hard to know a reason being, he himself doesn't know how he feels.  
  
"I don't know…" Ukiya said. "These past few days I've done so many things, even to the extent of disobeying AEGIS, so many things I'm sure I wouldn't have done back then but now…" he stopped, unsure of what he is saying…just like the last time.  
  
"Ukiya!!!" a voice behind them said. The couple turned around to see Bancho.  
"Somebody downstairs wants to talk to you."  
  
Ukiya smiled at Ruriko. "Let's go Rurippe."  
  
"Mou, you still haven't stopped with the "Rurippe" thing." She retorted, half disappointed.  



	16. Memories

Chapter 16: Memories  
  
Ruriko and Shun walked past the hospital entrance. Ruriko stopped walking when she saw Shirei and Ms. Ochiai. She started to have second thoughts.   
  
She felt a warm hand held hers. She looked up and saw Ukiya smile at her encouragingly. She smiled back and together, they walked towards their commander. She caught Kaoru give her a thumbs-up sign.  
  
"Shirei…sumimasen…" Ruriko apologized.  
  
"It's okay Ikusawa kun. Happens to the best of us." He said.  
  
Ukiya smiled at his sudden change of attitude.   
  
"And of course, Ukiya taishoo." Shirei continued, looking at Shun.  
  
Ruriko squeezed his hand and walked away to join Kaoru and the others.  
  
"You've done a great job, Ukiya taishoo. As you were." He said, in a serious tone.  
  
"Hai! I mean, Ryoukai, AEGIS!" he said, doing the AEGIS salute.  
  
"The defeat of two Dark Gatekeepers has earned the far east base a great reputation. Expect many more missions from now but as for now, we were able to upgrade our technology with new inventions."  
  
"Seems like we have a lot to celebrate, sir."  
  
"Sugoi de yansu!!" Megane exclaimed, jumping out from one black cars. He held something in his hands.   
  
"What is it Megane?" Shun asked, walking over to him. The other Gatekeepers ran over to him as well.  
  
"THIS!!!" he held up a contraption of some sort.  
  
"What is it?" Bancho asked, impatiently.   
  
"It's a Polaroid camera. It creates the picture seconds after it was taken." He said.   
  
"Picture time!" Kaoru said.  
  
All the Gatekeepers were in chaos trying to find a good spot while Megane was readying the camera on the stand. The Gatekeepers convinced Shirei and Ms. Ochiai to be with them in the picture. Megane set the timer and posed with the rest. "say 'CHEESE' de yansu!" he said.  
  
"CHEESE!" they said all together as a bright flash enveloped the area in light for more than a second. The Gatekeepers and Megane ran over excitedly. A square paper-like object came out of the camera.  
  
"Eh? There's only black here, nothing else!" Ukiya complain.  
  
"Fan it for a while." Megane advised.  
  
Ukiya fanned the square paper for a while. The next time he looked at it, there they were.  
  
"Wow!" Sugoi Megane!" Ukiya said.  
  
"Just like Magic!" Reiko added.   
  
"Let's go celebrate!" Kaoru announced.  
  
Everyone looked at Shirei. An amused look lit up his face. "Okay. Get in the car and we'll celebrate."  
  
The group cheered.  
  
Ruriko stopped and looked back at Megumi, who didn't move from her place. She walked towards Megumi.  
  
"Listen, Megumi. I wanna thank you for all your help…"  
  
Megumi nodded. "You go on. I have stuff to take care of."  
  
"Mou! Rurippe! Hurry up!"  
  
Ruriko turned around and ran towards the car. She stopped again and asked, "Are you sure you're not coming?"  
  
Megumi smiled. "I'll catch up one way or another." She watch Ruriko nod and head towards the car. Megumi sighed.   
  
  
@--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Megumi opened the door to the now empty room. She traced the edges of the bed with her fingers. She saw a pair of sunglasses on the corner table. She picked it up and examined it, remembering the nurse's words.  
  
"I'm sorry but he checked out just a few minutes ago. It was against the doctor's orders since he was still recovering but we couldn't stop him."  
  
Megumi looked at the sunglasses again. "Kageyama…"  
  
-------------The End------------------  
  
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(Please read!!!) Author's Final Notes: I know I told you guys Chapter 15 will be the last chapter but it was too long so I put it here. I'm sorry the   
story wasn't too much of an R x S but it had hints in it. I know the ending sucks but please be gentle in the R&R's please. If I get good   
reviews, I'll post the sequel to this story entitled, "The Realm of the Dark Gate" this happens near graduation and it's more R x S, mind you.  
So, help me and review properly.   



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